illustration.

1. An example used to clarify or make a point concrete.

2. A visual image accompanying or depicting an account or subject.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• illustration of a principle
• illustrative case

On the page

The case was an illustration of the principle rather than proof of its universality.

The reviewer requested an illustration that included the exception.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Singular illustration; plural illustrations. Also uncountable for illustrating. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: explicit explanation, scope and categorization, proof and interpretation, philosophical foundations. Disciplines: academic writing, formal reasoning, philosophy. Commonness: moderately common.